The boss of broke Irish Rail is enjoying the tropical sun in Mauritius with the threat of chaotic strikes days away.

David Franks is sunning himself on the holiday island as members of the National Bus & Railworkers’ Union prepare to begin four days of industrial action on Sunday.

Further strikes are planned on the days of the All Ireland hurling and football finals in September - promising a nightmare for fans and commuters.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary was stunned to learn Irish Rail chief David Franks was holidaying on the Indian Ocean island amid the row.

He said: “At a time when the trade union are being asked questions in relation to solutions or availability to discuss the issue, even at this late stage, the CEO is out of the country. I find that quite extraordinary. It sends out a very bad message to staff.

“No one denies there is a financial crisis at Irish Rail, we’ve all accepted that.

“But at a time of a financial crisis, it’s extraordinary to think the person who is tasked with the responsibility of running the company by the Government is not at the helm.”

Mr O’Leary said the news had undermined Mr Franks’ position in the eyes of Irish Rail workers.

He added: “At a time with a major rail strike pending, one would have thought that annual leave could be moved around to be facilitated at another time.

“It does undermine the confidence of our members in terms of his role, it certainly does.”

Irish Rail spokesman Barry Kenny was forced to reveal that his boss was on holiday during an interview on Newstalk today.

However, he insisted that David Franks was in constant contact and that his absence did not directly impact on negotiations over the planned action.

Irish rail (Image: Collins Photo Agency)

He told the Irish Mirror: “The direct talks have always been between our trade unions and our HR management and that will continue if the trade unions wish to avail of that.

“The Chief Executive obviously leads the management approach in setting out how we deal with all these issues.

“He continues both to communicate directly with management and indeed with staff. So whereas he may be away, he’s certainly not off work.”

He also criticised the union for continuing with the industrial action despite accepting that the company faces insolvency if finances are not corrected.

The dispute centres around the semi-state body’s plans to push through cost-cutting measures designed to save millions.

Under the deal, workers earning under €56,000 would have their wages reduced by nearly 2% while those earning over €100,000 would have their cash slashed by 6%.

The proposals had been accepted by a variety of unions representing rail staff but were rejected by SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU).

Hundreds of thousands of prospective passengers will be left in the lurch by the actions scheduled for August 24-25 and September 7, and 21.

Mr Franks is due to return to work next Monday, the second day of the 48-hour strike.

Until recently the rail boss was taking home a massive salary of €225,000.

In July he and other senior staff accepted the proposed pay cuts, reducing his yearly income to €211,275.

That figure still puts Mr Franks far ahead of the country’s top earners, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny taking home €200,000.